A wide range of activities such as playing a musical instrument, playing golf, opening a bottled drink or even laying bricks are all impossible activities to execute without the health of a user's arm, wrist and hands. Nevertheless, these physiological areas are most prone to injury in the human body.
Today, a number of physical therapists and physicians deal with two major types of injuries: (1) repetitive motion injuries and (2) traumatic injuries. The repetitive motion injuries develop over a period of time where consistent use of the arms, wrists and hands are required, such as assembly line tasks. Such repetitive motion injuries are treated by developing plans to address muscle and joint stress and weakness and redesigning workstations, tools and equipment.
However, traumatic injuries such as fractures and lacerations require immediate medical care. One type of traumatic injury is a sprain which can take weeks to heal properly. A physician or therapist focuses on restoring strength and mobility and on preventing the creation of adverse scar tissue which can permanently affect the function of the hand, wrist or any joint.
Another type of traumatic injury is the result of sporting accidents, such as inline skating accidents. Here, if a sporting enthusiast falls on his/her outstretched hand, the enthusiast may suffer a Colles' fracture, a fracture of the bones of the forearm (the radius and the ulna) near the wrist (or carpal bones). In order to prevent such an injury from occurring, the enthusiast should wear protective gear including wrist protectors.
Examples of such a device is depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 6,165,148 (hereinafter called '148) issued to Carr-Stock on Dec. 26, 2000. The '148 patent provides for a wrist/hand/finger orthosis having a splint member extending from forearm to fingertips, a cover enclosing the splint member and a plurality of releasable straps connected to the cover.
An advancement in the orthotic industry was to combine elastic and non-elastic fabric in the construction of wrist braces. An example of a device incorporating these fabrics is depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,969 (hereinafter called '969) issued to Bell on Feb. 13, 2001. The '969 patent is a wrist brace having a sheet of flexible material having a first portion which is substantially non-stretchable and a second portion which is stretchable. The first and second portions allow the brace to vary the compression on the proximal portion of the wrist which is sought to be immobilized.
Protection aids for hands and wrists have continued to develop as is evident with U.S. Pat. No. 6,279,159 (hereinafter called '159) issued to Ahlbaumer on Aug. 28, 2001. The '159 patent describes a hand and wrist protective aid comprising a first protective element to be arranged on the region of the hand palm situated near the wrist. A second protective element is arranged on the inside portion of the wrist and is connected to the first protective element via a connecting element. However, the forearm of a user is left exposed and unprotected.
In 2003, a wrist brace was designed to fixedly link a user's hand to a user's forearm in a rigid fashion whereby the wrist is held in a relatively neutral position as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 6,540,710 issued to Cruz on Apr. 1, 2003. The '710 patent provides for a brace, namely a one-piece unit designed to fit on top of the hand and forearm.
Aside from the physical structure of the brace, other developments have involved the evolution of the materials. An example of this enhanced material is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,080,121 (hereinafter called '121) issued to Madow on Jun. 27, 2000. The '121 patent describes a laminated orthopedic brace made of a unique blend of material combining Airprene™ with Coolmax™ material as a liner. This material blend allowed for breathability, compression and heat retention.